Antiseptic toothbrush cover

ABSTRACT

An antiseptic toothbrush cover is designed for safety, ease of manufacture, and increased functionality by providing an exterior receptacle which is easily filled, covered and tenaciously sealed. The exterior receptacle is filled with an outgassing, antiseptic media. A field of throughholes extending substantially throughout the area beneath the receptacle may provide fluid communication from the receptacle to the interior of the holder adjacent a toothbrush head. The interior surfaces of the holder are desirably smooth and unbroken except for the throughholes, in order to minimize bacteria-friendly spaces.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention provides improvements to structure andmanufacturability of antiseptic toothbrush covers.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

Several kinds of toothbrush holders or covers are known in the art,including those with antiseptic outgassing media such as one describedin U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,801, to Vermooten et al. However, improvementsare desired over the structures of the known art in order to achieveimproved safety, functionality and ease of manufacture for toothbrushholders or covers of the antiseptic type.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An antiseptic toothbrush cover according to the present invention maygenerally comprise a case divided between a first portion and a secondportion, with a hinge connecting the first portion and the secondportion whereby the first portion and the second portion can bepositioned to form a substantially enclosed void for holding a head of atoothbrush. On an exterior surface of the case a receptacle is located,preferably formed by at least one wall extending from the exteriorsurface of the case. A plurality of throughholes may provide fluidcommunication between an inner surface of the case and the receptaclethereby allowing an outgassing, granular, antiseptic media containedwithin the receptacle to provide antiseptic vapors to a toothbrushenclosed within the case. The granular antiseptic media is sized toextend beyond a diameter of the throughholes; and a covering istenaciously engaged in an airtight manner with an exterior of thereceptacle to securely enclose the granular antiseptic media within thereceptacle and prevent contact therewith.

In some embodiments an antiseptic toothbrush cover according to thepresent invention may comprise a so-called “clamshell” case, i.e., aone-piece molded case, the case divided between a first portion and asecond portion; with a living hinge connecting the first portion and thesecond portion. The case has an open position and a closed position witha clasp mechanism formed in the case for holding the. case in the closedposition. The case will form a substantially enclosed void in the closedposition for holding a head of a toothbrush, but have an opening thereinfor the passage of a toothbrush handle therethrough. Desirably, the casewill have substantially smooth unbroken inner surfaces for easy cleaningand to discourage bacterial entrapment and growth in nooks and crannies.

A receptacle integrally molded on an exterior surface of the firstportion of the case, and formed by a receptacle-wall portion of the caseand contiguous walls extending from the case, will contain anoutgassing, granular, antiseptic media. A plurality of perforations orthroughholes located within the receptacle-wall portion and distributedover a preponderance of the receptacle-wall portion provide a sufficientvolume of fluid communication between the interior of the case and thereceptacle to permit the antiseptic vapors from the outgassing media toreach the adjacent toothbrush held within the interior void of the case.A covering tenaciously engaged with the contiguous receptacle walls toseal the exterior of the receptacle and enclose the antiseptic mediaprevents access to the antiseptic media.

Words of degree, such as “about”, “substantially”, and the like are usedherein in the sense of “at, or nearly at, when given the manufacturing,design, and material tolerances inherent in the stated circumstances”and are used to prevent the unscrupulous infringer from unfairly takingadvantage of the invention disclosure where exact or absolute figuresare stated as an aid to understanding the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The aspects of this invention will be better understood from thefollowing detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawingswherein:

FIG. 1 is an exterior front perspective view of a closed toothbrushcover with the receptacle covering in place and an opaque receptaclewall.

FIG. 2 is an exterior side view of a first portion of the toothbrushcover with the receptacle covering removed and the case in the closedposition.

FIG. 3 is an exterior side view of a second portion of the toothbrushcover with the case in the closed position.

FIG. 4 is an interior perspective view of the case in the open position.

FIG. 5 is an exterior perspective view of the case in the open positionwith the receptacle covering in place and a translucent receptacle wallshowing the antiseptic media within the receptacle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring also to the drawing figures, an exemplary antiseptictoothbrush cover according to one embodiment of the invention comprisesa one-piece molded case 11, sometimes referred to as a “clamshell” case,such as may be molded or pressed from plastic, laminated paperboard, orother suitable material. The case 11 is divided between generallybowl-shaped portions being a first portion 13 and a second portion 15.Referring especially to FIG. 4, while shown as contoured, the first andsecond case portions 13, 15 may alternatively be generally be describedas each being a substantially open-faced parallelepiped with five walls,and with a major surface, i.e., wall of greatest area, referred to as alid 12, 14, and four side walls, 53, 55, 57, 59 and 61, 63, 65, 67;respectively, with the open faces being opposite the lids 12, 14. Ineither event, the case portions desirably have a majority of smooth,rounded, and uninterrupted interior surfaces to minimize nooks andcrannies where bacteria may hide. It will occur to the person of skillin the art that other general case configurations for creating a centralvoid for containing a toothbrush, or the head thereof, may be utilizedwithin the scope of the current invention.

A hinge, desirably such as living hinge 17, (FIGS. 2-4) connects thefirst portion 13 and the second portion 15 and allows the case 11 anopen position, as in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, for easy removal and insertionof a toothbrush (not shown) and a closed position, as in FIGS. 1-3,whereby the first portion 13 and the second portion 15 are positioned toform a substantially enclosed void for holding at least a head of thetoothbrush (not shown), i.e. the part with bristles. A clasp mechanism18 is desirably integrally formed in the case 11 for holding the case 11in the closed position. Opposing cutouts, collectively 20, (FIG. 4) areformed on corresponding surfaces of the first portion 13 and the secondportion 15 to permit exit of a toothbrush handle (not shown) from thecase 11, if the case is desired to enclose only the head of thetoothbrush.

A receptacle 21 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 5) for holding antiseptic media 31 isdesirably integrally molded from the same material as the case 11 on themajor exterior surface 22 of the first portion 13 for ease ofmanufacture and placement of the antiseptic media 31 in the receptacle21. It will be appreciated that arrangements other than integral moldingof receptacle may be accomplished within the spirit of some embodimentsof the present invention. The receptacle 21 has a bottom, or first wallformed by a receptacle-wall portion 23 (FIG. 2 and FIG. 4) of the firstportion 13 of the case 11. The receptacle 21 is further defined by atleast one wall 25 extending from the exterior surface 22 of the firstportion 13 to form the side wall, or walls, as desired, of thereceptacle 21. The at least one wall 25 has a top surface 26 being thatsurface of the receptacle 21 generally farthest from the exteriorsurface 22.

A plurality of throughholes 27 (FIG. 2 and FIG. 4) are integrally formedduring molding, or by later piercing, to be located within thereceptacle-wall portion 23 of the first portion 13 and distributed overa preponderance of the receptacle-wall portion 23 of the first portion13. The throughholes 27 provide a sufficient volume of fluidcommunication between an inner surface 29 of the case, and moreparticularly the void formed by the case portions to contain an adjacenttoothbrush (not shown), and the interior of the receptacle 21 containingthe outgassing antiseptic media. It is preferred that the receptacle 21and throughholes 27 are located at that portion of the void intended toreceive the wet bristles of the brush. Alternatively, the means forproviding fluid communication may include a gas permeable material ofthe first case portion 13, or at least the receptacle-wall portion 23thereof. Selection of suitable gas permeable polymers or the like forconstruction of the case 11, or suitable receptacle portions thereof,are considered to be within the skill of the art.

The antiseptic media 31 is then safely contained within the receptacle21 by a covering 33 which is tenaciously engaged, such as by ultrasonicwelding, heat sealing, adhesives, or the like, to the receptacle, andparticularly the top surface 26 of the at least one wall 25, to enclosethe antiseptic media 31 within the receptacle 21 in an airtight andtamper-resistant manner. The tenacious engagement of the covering 33ensures the receptacle contents are resistant to tampering or removal bychildren.

The antiseptic media 31 is an outgas sing solid containing absorbed oilsand is designed to emit antiseptic vapors into the void of the case inorder to suppress the growth of bacteria on the head of the toothbrush(not shown). The antiseptic media 31 is preferably granular in order topresent a large surface area and sufficiently granular as to be sized toextend beyond a diameter of the throughholes to keep the grains of themedia from entering the void and making direct contact with thetoothbrush (not shown). In some embodiments the antiseptic media may bein the form of a pad, tablet or the like. The composition of theantiseptic media 31 may include an inert carrier such as porous,absorbent plant material or clay, for the retention of natural, safe,antiseptic outgassing compounds such as cinnamon oil, clove oil,peppermint oil, tea tree oil, thyme oil, and the emission of theirvapors over time. Desirably, the porous absorbent plant materialcomprises corn solids, which have been found to be particularlyresilient, stable and efficacious for the absorption and release of theantiseptic compounds in the environment of repeated wetting and dryingof the toothbrush cover.

While in the foregoing specification this invention has been describedin relation to certain preferred embodiments thereof, and many detailshave been set forth for purpose of illustration, it will be apparent tothose skilled in the art that the invention is susceptible to additionalembodiments and that certain of the details described herein can bevaried considerably without departing from the basic principles of theinvention.

1. An antiseptic toothbrush cover, comprising a) first and second caseportions, at least one of the first and second case portions beingsubstantially an open-faced parallelepiped with five walls, includingone wall serving as a lid and four side walls connected to said lid,with the open faces of the parallelepipeds being opposite the lidsurfaces; b) a receptacle located on the lid of one of said caseportions, the receptacle formed by a receptacle-wall portion of the lidand at least one wall extending from the exterior surface of the lid; c)means for providing fluid communication between an inner surface of thecase and the receptacle; d) an outgassing antiseptic media containedwithin the receptacle; and e) a covering tenaciously engaged with the atleast one wall to enclose the antiseptic media within the receptacle. 2.An antiseptic toothbrush cover, comprising: a) a case divided between afirst portion and a second portion; b) the case having a closed positionwhereby the first portion and the second portion are positioned to forma substantially enclosed void for holding at least a head of atoothbrush; c) a receptacle located on an exterior surface of the firstportion, the receptacle formed by a receptacle-wall portion of the firstportion and at least one wall extending from the exterior surface of thefirst portion; d) means for providing fluid communication between aninner surface of the case and the receptacle; e) an outgassingantiseptic media contained within the receptacle; and f) a coveringtenaciously engaged to the at least one wall to enclose the granularantiseptic media within the receptacle.
 3. The antiseptic toothbrushcover of claim 2 wherein the covering is tenaciously engaged in anairtight manner.
 4. The antiseptic toothbrush cover of claim 3 whereinthe covering is tenaciously engaged by at least one of ultrasonicwelding, heat sealing and adhesives.
 5. The antiseptic toothbrush coverof claim 2 wherein the receptacle is integrally molded with an exteriorsurface of the first portion.
 6. The antiseptic toothbrush cover ofclaim 2 wherein the means for providing fluid communication includes aplurality of throughholes located within the receptacle-wall portion ofthe first case and distributed over a preponderance of thereceptacle-wall portion of the first case.
 7. The antiseptic toothbrushcover of claim 6 wherein the antiseptic media is granular and thegranular antiseptic media is sized to extend beyond a diameter of thethroughholes.
 8. The antiseptic toothbrush cover of claim 2 wherein themeans for providing fluid communication includes a gas permeablematerial of the receptacle-wall portion.
 9. The antiseptic toothbrushcover of claim 2 wherein the antiseptic media contained within thereceptacle is granular.
 10. The antiseptic toothbrush cover of claim 2wherein the case is a one-piece molded case.
 11. The antiseptictoothbrush cover of claim 2 wherein the case has substantially smoothunbroken inner surfaces.
 12. The antiseptic toothbrush cover of claim 2further comprising a hinge connecting the first portion and the secondportion.
 13. The antiseptic toothbrush cover of claim 12 wherein thehinge is a living hinge connecting the first portion and the secondportion.
 14. The antiseptic toothbrush cover of claim 2 wherein the casehas a closed position whereby the first portion and the second portionare positioned to form a substantially enclosed void sized to primarilyhold only a head of a toothbrush.
 15. A antiseptic toothbrush cover,comprising: a) a one-piece molded case divided between a first portionand a second portion with a living hinge between the first and secondportions; b) the case having a closed position whereby the first portionand the second portion are positioned to form a substantially enclosedvoid for holding at least a head of a toothbrush; c) a receptacleintegrally formed with an exterior surface of the first portion; d)throughholes for providing fluid communication between an inner surfaceof the case and the receptacle; e) an outgassing granular antisepticmedia contained within the receptacle, the antiseptic media granulesbeing sized to extend beyond a diameter of the throughholes; and f) acovering tenaciously engaged to the at least one wall to enclose thegranular antiseptic media within the receptacle; and g) the case havingsubstantially smooth unbroken inner surfaces.
 16. The antiseptictoothbrush cover of claim 15 wherein the antiseptic media comprises cornsolids.
 17. The antiseptic toothbrush cover of claim 16 wherein theantiseptic media further comprises a compound selected from the groupincluding cinnamon oil, clove oil, peppermint oil, tea tree oil, andthyme oil.